Several significant projects are planned for downtown Raleigh this year.
“We’re seeing growth in every area of downtown,” David Diaz, president and chief executive of the Downtown Raleigh Alliance, told WRAL TV.
Some pending projects include:
- Construction should begin on a mixed-use project at Peace and West streets.
Last year, Triangle Business Journal reported that North Hills developer John Kane has announced details of a joint-venture project with Williams Realty & Building Co. to build a $100 million, mixed-use, multi-family building project in downtown Raleigh that could also bring the first grocery store to the downtown district.\
- Work will continue on replacing the interchange at Capital Blvd. and Peace St.
- The city is studying consolidating offices at a single campus downtown.
As well, Harris Teeter plans to open a store at the Seaboard Station complex off Peace Street, possibly by the end the year.
“We’re going to have some retail we’ve never had before,” he told WRAL. “We may have the kind of retail that can anchor and encourage more growth,” he said.
He said Union Station could be a growth catalyst. The transit hub, which should open later in the year, will serve Amtrack and regional bus services.
“Union Station is going to link the downtown to the city, to the suburbs, to the rest of the region. All roads will be leading into downtown, so to speak,” Diaz said.
There also is a need for more hotels in Raleigh, Diaz said. While downtown has more than 1,000 hotel rooms and Residence Inn by Marriott near the Convention Center is about to open, there still is a need for more accommodation, he said. “We did a study that showed we could add five to 10 more hotels in the downtown area and absorb that demand.”